Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Encephalitozoon cuniculi causes cataracts and eye inflammation in dogs
By Nell, B et al.·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2015·Department of Companion Animals and Horses·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Encephalitozoon cuniculi causes focal anterior cataract and uveitis in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs, aged 10 months, 14 months, and 7.5 years, were brought to the vet due to eye problems that had lasted from a few months to several years. They all tested positive for a parasite called Encephalitozoon cuniculi, which caused issues like cataracts and inflammation in their eyes. The two younger dogs had surgery to remove their cloudy lenses, while all three received medication including fenbendazole, prednisolone, and anti-inflammatory eye drops. After treatment, the dogs are still on eye drops, and their conditions are being monitored.
People also search for: dog eye problems cataract treatment · Encephalitozoon cuniculi in dogs · dog uveitis symptoms and treatment
Abstract
Three mongrel dogs, aged 10 months (case 1), 14 months (case 2) and 7.5 years (case 3), were presented because of ophthalmologic disorders of 4 months, 6 months and 7 years duration, respectively. All three dogs were offspring of stray dogs from Hungary and Serbia and had positive serum antibody titres against Encephalitozoon (E.) cuniculi. The two young dogs showed unilateral, the older dog bilateral chronic anterior uveitis with posterior synechia and focal anterior cortical cataract. The fundi that could be evaluated developed focal tapetal hyporeflective lesions in the course of the disease. Dogs 1 and 2 underwent removal of the lens via phacoemulsification. PCR of the lens material was positive for E. cuniculi strains IV and II, respectively. In dog 2 findings suggestive of microsporidia were detected underneath the anterior lens capsule by immunohistochemical staining. In all cases medical treatment consisted of systemic fenbendazole, prednisolone, and topical anti-inflammatory drugs, and additional brinzolamid/timolol for dog 3. For the time being all cases (follow up 23 months, 6 months and 3 months, respectively) are still on topical anti-inflammatory therapy. It is concluded that E. cuniculi infections can cause cataract and chorioretinal lesions in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26355191/